Good to know for future reference. I noticed they are mixing it up using both Seagate and WD. Is it limited to one or the other? I like to be sure I provide facts, and not just what is reported by others, and appreciate that you didn't flog me for not knowing they have started using them. Really, I do.

When the TiVo HD originally came out they used SATA1, then went to SATA2 (I bought two of the first batch made and two of the last ever made).

The Premieres came with SATA2 from the start, and I can attest that the TiVo HD & Premiere both emulate IDE ATA133, regardless of the drive (if you know when to watch the logs, and where to look, it is logged what modes the TiVo sets, as well as the block sizes).

As for the Roamio, I have it from a reliable source, that it appears TiVo still hasn't found it necessary to change this, but nothing concrete on if they've moved beyond IDE ATA133 emulation, as the mode the TiVo sets. I'm not in-the-know enough to know how hard, or easy, it would be for them to change it. I figure if it's hard, and they don't need to, they won't do it. I'd love to hear from somebody who can shed any light on this (if TiVo has changed the mode/emulation).

I'm pretty sure it's purely a matter of what they can get (due to availability/supply/pre-allocation) and at what price, at the time. I used to work for a system builder, so I know how the game works, with drives that are in high demand (even if all that demand is one giant company).

I wouldn't be surprised if they install SATA2 drives in on Tuesdays, and SATA3 on Wednesdays, etc.

Anyway, the takeaway from all this, that matters, is that nobody should expect any performance gain, in a Roamio, by using SATA3, nor should they expect any loss of performance by using SATA2. No worries about using either.

Tivo's warranty is only worth using for the first 90 days; after that any extended warranty is cheaper than what Tivo will charge you for a replacement unit.

So if one plans to upgrade DIY, they should buy an "extended warranty" (even the one Tivo sells is serviced by a third party) and if anything goes wrong reinstall the original drive and contact the 3rd party "extended warranty" provider for replacement.

Tivo's not involved in any part of that process, since you're not asking to use their warranty.

Any TiVo has internal logs that include the model and serial number of the drive in use, and are uploaded to, and stored by, TiVo's servers. How long they are stored, or if they have a system to detect drive changes, I don't know.

Here's what has been reported (some more than others, not in a particular order):

1. Somebody bragged to TiVo that they upgraded, and were denied warranty.

2. Somebody called in for support, the CSR pulled up the logs, and noticed the drive discrepancy, denying the warranty service the customer needed.

3. I, myself, upgraded, using the same model they did in their more expensive units, and was denied SUPPORT, when they noticed the drive had been changed, due to "unauthorized modifications".

4. Others have not had an issue with SUPPORT service, which is likely due to whether or not the CSR that took the call was being vigilant about looking for drive upgrades (or what kind of day they were having).

Many have claimed the best thing to do is hang onto your original drive (don't re-purpose it), and if you need warranty service, put it back in, and you'll be fine. I can't recall anybody actually *recently* claiming this was a success story, only implying it. I could be wrong, or have forgotten such a post.

Many have also claimed that TiVo has been turning a blind-eye to the above method, but said (quite accurately) there is no guarantee that TiVo will continue to do so.

It's a gamble. Some would rather pay extra, and have peace of mind. Others don't care, or are willing to take their chances.

No, there is no sticker, nor any tamper evidence sensors. But, if TiVo has any evidence you have even opened the case, they can deny warranty service. Some have said this is against certain governmental law(s). But, I've yet to read about anybody making a case to prove it.

Tivo's warranty is only worth using for the first 90 days; after that any extended warranty is cheaper than what Tivo will charge you for a replacement unit.

So if one plans to upgrade DIY, they should buy an "extended warranty" (even the one Tivo sells is serviced by a third party) and if anything goes wrong reinstall the original drive and contact the 3rd party "extended warranty" provider for replacement.

Tivo's not involved in any part of that process, since you're not asking to use their warranty.

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So I should keep the original drive in until 90 days (in case something goes horribly wrong) and then I can swap it out for the expanded one? I see the Tivo extended warranty is $40 for 3 years which sounds fair. I plan on doing the lifetime subscription, and so I guess this is my best bet as opposed to using a third party like SquareTrade?

Tivo's warranty is only worth using for the first 90 days; after that any extended warranty is cheaper than what Tivo will charge you for a replacement unit.

So if one plans to upgrade DIY, they should buy an "extended warranty" (even the one Tivo sells is serviced by a third party) and if anything goes wrong reinstall the original drive and contact the 3rd party "extended warranty" provider for replacement.

Tivo's not involved in any part of that process, since you're not asking to use their warranty.

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This isn't an argument that I am presenting, just some details I feel shouldn't be left out:

As I attempted to make clear in my post, regardless of 3rd-party warranties (and perhaps making a mistake by neglecting to mention them), you still have to get support services from TiVo, if you need it. I don't know of any 3rd-party warranties that take over the support role that TiVo plays. Any I am aware of, only handle warranty claims. A 3rd-party warranty provider generally only asks why you consider the product defective, in order to justify authorizing the return for replacement. That is not the same as providing support.

While there are plenty of cases, with other products (not TiVo), where the 3rd-party also takes on the responsibilities of providing support, I have yet to come across any mention of this for TiVo. I think this is by TiVo's design.

TiVo can, and sometimes will, refuse to provide support to you, open support tickets, or even take bug reports, if they notice you have changed drives. If the problem you are having is due to a TiVo design flaw, or software bug, a replacement under 3rd-party warranty will not resolve such an issue, just provide you another TiVo, with the same flaws/bugs. This is why having TiVo continue to provide you with support services is so important. TiVo doesn't stop supporting you, just because their own 90-day, or their own extended warranty, ends.

No arguments over that the extended warranty from TiVo, is very likely handled by a 3rd-party, only uncertainty on how much the involved companies share with each other, if any. After all, When you call TiVo support, you are dealing with a 3rd-party company. Do we know for sure TiVo's own 3rd-party support company has no ties to TiVo's choice for their 3rd-party extended warranty company? It could just two differently named service providers, who could both be part of the same parent company and, theoretically, share information. I can't prove it, nor disprove it, at the moment.

Also, I've seen many other challenges to the way of thinking you describe, spread throughout various threads. I'm not going to challenge it, in any other ways, myself, as it always winds up turning into bickering back and forth, until everybody just drops the matter, so the threads the debating was going on in could return to their normal intended purpose.

This post is intentionally simplified, for the sake of brevity. I just felt it was worth bringing up the otherwise left-out, matter of insuring continued support, from TiVo, when discussing warranties and drive upgrades.

I'm reading that adding a new bigger internal drive will void the warranty. How exactly will Tivo know that it's been tampered with? Is there a VOID sticker or whatnot that you have to tamper with to open the unit? Assuming there's not, if I keep the original drive intact and I have a problem with the Roamio, couldn't I just stick the original drive back in before I ship off my defective unit to Tivo?

Has anyone had a warranty claim on a defective Tivo that contained a previously upgraded hard drive?

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Yes. One of the two Roamio Plus units I bought and upgraded to 3TB failed within a week due to non drive issues. I dropped the original drive back in and returned for replacement. No issue.

I feel people are smart enough to know when they upgrade the HD they are voiding the warranty.

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That is merely an assumption, on your part. There's an ages-old saying about assuming things.

You just joined this month, and have 3 posts, at the time of this post. How could you possibly know the makeup/breakdown of the members here, and what their levels of knowledge and expertise are? (That's a rhetorical question). I just assumed something, about you, and would guess you don't like that I did... Just making a point.

That is merely an assumption, on your part. There's an ages-old saying about assuming things.

You just joined this month, and have 3 posts, at the time of this post. How could you possibly know the makeup/breakdown of the members here, and what their levels of knowledge and expertise are? (That's a rhetorical question). I just assumed something, about you, and would guess you don't like that I did... Just making a point.

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Simple, I have a better opinion of people's intelligence than you apparently do. Most people would know if they take a piece of electronic equipment apart, they void the warranty.

Someone may want to post info about 4TB drives not working yet on page 1 or page 5(where atleast 1 site links) so some dummy doesn't assume that since WKs offers 4TB that it will work. Because that dummy could buy a 4TB Seagate Video drive because of that and then feel really dumb.

How are WKs adding 4GB external drives, I thought only the 1TB WD DVR extender worked?

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The Tivo can't prepare a blank 4 TB hard drive by itself. You have to connect the hard drive to a PC and use a special tool to prepare the drive for the Tivo. Once the drive has been prepared ahead of time, the Roamio can use it without major problems.

Weakness has developed such a tool, but no one else has developed a free version of this tool yet.